Waterfalls in New Mexico at a glance
New Mexico has 22 named waterfalls on our map, 37th among the states. Most are small drops on creeks and rivers, and many run best in spring or after rain.
For bigger falls, the nearest waterfall country is Arizona and Colorado. Arizona's best-known falls include Havasu Falls, Mooney Falls, Fossil Springs. Search your town on the map above and set the radius to 100 or 200 miles to see which are within a day trip; the map crosses state lines.
Small falls like these are at their best in spring and in the day or two after heavy rain, when the creeks feeding them run high; in dry spells many shrink to a trickle. See the best time to see waterfalls.
New Mexico by the numbers
The map shows 22 named falls in New Mexico. 14 of them are in the USGS Geographic Names Information System, the federal register of official place names, and 8 more are named falls mapped only in OpenStreetMap. 5 have a height recorded by OpenStreetMap mappers, which is what the height filter above uses. SandovalCounty has the most, with 4.
Tallest recorded waterfalls in New Mexico
Heights as recorded in OpenStreetMap, converted to feet. Guidebooks may list different figures, usually because they count every tier of a fall or only the biggest drop. Why heights differ.
| Waterfall | Height | County | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio en Medio Falls | 164 ft | not recorded | |
| Pecos Falls | 82 ft | Mora | |
| Jemez Falls | 69 ft | Sandoval | |
| Quemado Falls | 33 ft | not recorded | |
| Travertine Falls | 33 ft | not recorded |
Counties with the most waterfalls
From the USGS record, which gives each fall's county.
| County | Named falls |
|---|---|
| Sandoval | 4 |
| Rio Arriba | 2 |
| McKinley | 1 |
| Guadalupe | 1 |
| Union | 1 |
| Socorro | 1 |
| Santa Fe | 1 |
| Mora | 1 |
| Eddy | 1 |
| Cibola | 1 |
Every named waterfall in New Mexico
Alphabetical within each county. Tap a name to centre the map above on it.
Cibola County (1)
Eddy County (1)
Guadalupe County (1)
McKinley County (1)
Mora County (1)
(82 ft)
Rio Arriba County (2)
,
Sandoval County (4)
, (69 ft), ,
Santa Fe County (1)
Socorro County (1)
Union County (1)
County not recorded (8)
, , , , (33 ft), (164 ft), , (33 ft)
Before you go
The map shows where falls are, not whether they are open or safe to reach. Check the land manager, usually a state park or national forest, for closures, fees and permits, and stay on the trail near the water. Our waterfall safety guide covers the hazards, and waterfall hikes near me explains how to pick a trail.
Waterfalls near cities close to New Mexico
Every named fall within driving range of the city, nearest first: waterfalls near Colorado Springs, waterfalls near Denver, waterfalls near Salt Lake City.
Waterfalls in nearby states: Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Texas. Or see waterfalls in every state.